Notwithstanding the passion to study, in course of time, it is natural the concentration may flag. It can be boredom from regimented routine or distractions with an easy go attitude.
Sometimes deliberate push is enough to get back to the study desk. But low motivation is not a bane and abnormal too and never a sign of a bad student. However, continued low motivation and no action can derail the person. A few tips can help students in staying motivated.
A drained feeling happens even with the notoriously hard-working people. But they are not permanently unmotivated.
Accept the reality that sometimes one may not feel like studying. To address this predicament some techniques can be tried to re-ignite the embers of motivation.
Take out 10 minutes and list down the reasons for studying and answer the following questions.
Scribble those reasons on paper and paste them somewhere near your study. Next time when the low feeling comes remind you are studying with certain goals in mind within certain time frames. They need to be achieved in a productive manner and any silly approach will be counterproductive. Visualising future success can motivate and give the stamina to endure the rigours of any hard time.
One way to stay motivated is trust that you are an achiever with a list of achievements in the past. Note down things you have done wonderfully in the past and look back with pride and say the new responsibilities ahead will also have the same treatment and outcome.
Remove the feeling of any study load and not feel overwhelmed. If there is a lag and a perception that you are falling behind in studies, better stay on track or try to stay ahead of schedule to keep up the momentum and stay motivated.
Motivation when combined with action makes goals achievable. Efforts without motivation will be a sheer struggle and often leads to procrastination and bad results. Despite reading motivational stuff for triggering motivation if there is no follow action pain follows.
There is a saying motivation is like a daily bath. Its impact is not infinite and like bath, it must be made a daily chore.
Motivation doubles if there is a reward soon after the task. Reward yourself after every study session to stay motivated. It can be simple, enjoying your favourite chocolate, or hot bath, or a night with a new book. The size is not the issue it is all about feeling satisfied for having done a good job.
Never postpone any work fearing it is time-consuming. In studies, it can be about starting university or signing up next module because studying takes a long time. Time, in any case, will lapse and it is better to use it to empower yourself and improve your future life.
If something is put off, later on a sense of loss can drain one emotionally. Never postpone things required to do especially if it is meant to improve your life.
Also, allocate time for study by having a routine. Then, review the progress every week without making the schedule rigid. In the review, look at what has worked and has not. In the renewed start, tweak the routine until it delivers the results desired.
Sometimes there will be a boring feeling that an evening has to be spent working and the long and rigorous study can make one frustrated. But the technique of studying intensely for as small as 30 minutes can recharge the mind.
So pick a small task and set the timer for 30 minutes. Work hard on the task free of all distractions. In sharp 30 minutes complete work. The energy from the burst of short study will induce momentum and unleash a fresh fountain of motivation to do more.
Set study goals in such a way that they can be achieved within the available time. If tasks are taking longer time adjust expectations not to feel miserable. Make a judicious course correction by limiting it to three things and try to do it well.
This may look like achieving less every day contrary to the wish to exert more. It removes the peril of chasing unrealistic goals that only make a student depressed.
There are techniques to boost motivation during every session. The first one is the ‘eat the ugly frog first’ tactic. It is about two proverbial frogs. ‘Eating the ugly frog first’ is the best way to get the problem out of the way. That means if there is a tough task, do it first. When you do it, there is the realisation that the task was not that tough and makes the mind doubly motivated.
The opposite is the ‘quick win’ method by which an easy task is taken up first. The ideal choice must be doing a big task first as in the ‘eat the ugly frog. But if low motivation sustains ‘quick win’ is also fine.
Build support: Building a backup system with friends and family members can give the cushion when feeling overwhelmed by work or study pressure. Make that support buffer to unload the pressure points. Take time to cultivate friends, update family, peers and teachers on how things are going with you and take their advice to add motivation to the work.
Overall, college may overwhelm if adequate focus and motivation are missing. The way-out is a step-by-step approach to any project or responsibility by attempting to do achievable steps. Challenging difficulty and remembering that hard work will pay off, in the end, can make things easy for the future.